Within the context of sustainable
development, to integrate and mainstream environmental issues in the
knowledge and decision-making of public, private and civil sectors of
society and to stimulate action by providing realistic options for improving
the state of the global environment.

The
GEO-3 Approach:

The following general objectives
will guide the production of GEO-3 and shape the product(s):
- Engaging a wider range of clients and stakeholders in the production
process
- Providing input to Earth Summit 2002 and to other relevant fora and
processes
- Diversifying products to target a range of user groups
- Providing a constructive information basis and global context for
negotiations and decision making
- Using best available information and making best use of secondary
data
- Placing greater emphasis on the social and economic implications of
environmental policy actions and options
- Providing clear regional and sub-regional differentiation of global
issues
- Providing compelling information on the scale of environmental change
- Presenting doable options for action

Along the lines of GEO-2000,
but more extensive, since the process is becoming broader, more participatory
and therefore complicated. An opportunity to place GEO in the context
of other global assessment and reporting processes.

2.
SOE and Policy Retrospective 1972-2002:

A global overview and integrated
analysis of the state and trends in major environmental sectors over
the past 30 years. Major emphasis will be placed on providing an integrated
explanation of trends by identifying their root causes and drivers.
The relationships between policy and environment will be analyzed to
show how policy can impact on environment and how the environment can
drive policy, both retrospectively and proactively.

For structural and presentational
clarity, sectoral areas will be used as the entry points for assessment.
However, the cross-cutting, integrative nature of environmental issues
will be emphasized at every opportunity, with integrated analysis of
themes and policy impacts where appropriate and emphasis on geographic
and sectoral interlinkages.

GEO-2000 will be used as
the main source for SOE information, up-dated and supplemented where
required.

Description and analysis
will be at global level, but will include regional and sub-regional
differentiation. The analysis will focus on priority issues, with assessment
of vulnerability, hot spots and possible emerging issues.

The analysis of environmental
trends will take into consideration the widest possible range of social,
economic, political and cultural drivers and root causes demographics,
production and consumption, poverty, urbanization, industrialization,
governance, conflict, globalization of trade, finance and information,
and others.

Special focus will be placed
on the impacts of national, regional and global policies, including
MEAs. The assessment will take into consideration not only environmental
policy but also the impacts of general policies on environmental issues.

3.
Outlook 2002-2032:

Within a 2002-2032 time frame,
a forward-looking, scenario-based, integrated analysis linked to the
major issues identified in the retrospective section and contrasting
conventional and sustainable paths. The initial global-level analysis
will be extended to regions and sub-regions, thereby identifying the
potential areas of vulnerability and hot spots of the future. A number
of alternative policy studies, focusing on priority issues in the regions
and sub-regions, will compare the outcomes of a range of possible policy
measures, revealing best options.

The global scenarios are
still to be selected.

Global megatrends (demographics,
consumption, industrialization - including growth of the leisure society
and tourism, etc) will be used as the entry points for the scenario
work. Expected trends in the environment (impacts on the universal and
global issues assessed in section 2 as well as priority issues identified
by the unfolding process leading to the 2002 Earth Summit) will be developed
for the next 30 years, quantitatively wherever possible.

The alternative policy studies
will follow the general, 6-step methodology developed for GEO-2000.
As far as possible, the studies will be model-based and incorporate
quantitative data and analysis.

4.
Synthesis and action:

This section will be worked
out in more detail during the first GEO-3 production meeting in early
April 2000. It is likely to include:

- An evaluation of whether
policy responses over the last 30 years are appropriate for the next
30
- Doable, positive policy and action items, linked to the conclusions
of all earlier sections ( the retrospective policy analysis, the global/regional
scenario findings and the future policy options studies) and targeted
at key audiences (various categories and levels of decision-makers and
actors)
- Conditions and capacities required for successful application of recommended
policies and actions
- Policy-relevant indicators which can be used to monitor future PSIR
changes related to the environment at global, regional, national and
local levels.